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Senate Bill 39 Allows Up to $100 Million in Business Incentive Credits for Transformational Mixed-Use Development in the State of Ohio

Client Alert

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 39 on December 29, 2020, which created a new tax credit applicable to insurance premium taxes. This tax credit is designed to provide funding for a transformational mixed-use development or “TMUD” in the state of Ohio.

Effective as of March 31, 2021, Senate Bill 39 authorizes the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (“OTCA”), within the Ohio Development Services Agency (“ODSA”), to award up to $100 million of total business incentive credits in each of the fiscal years 2020-2023, which will then be applied against insurance premium taxes. Individual projects are capped at $40 million. Of the $100 million, there remains a reserved amount of $20 million of such credits each fiscal year for projects not located within a “Major City”, which is within ten miles of a municipality with more than 100,000 people.           

What Qualifies as a TMUD Project?

According to O.R.C. 122.09, the development project may be certified as a TMUD by meeting the following requirements:

  1. Must consist of new construction or redevelopment, rehabilitation, or expansion of an existing vacant structure, or a combination of the two; and
  2. Must have a “transformational economic impact” on the site and surrounding area. Transformational economic impact can be measured through the estimated increased tax collections resulting from the increased activity of the development, which must exceed 10% of the development costs within five (5) years of certification (as measured by a preliminary economic impact study, although not yet defined); and
  3. Must be mixed-use (integrating some combination of retail, office, residential, recreation, structured parking, or other similar uses); and
  4. Must include a structure or structures that meet certain height, square footage, or increased payroll requirements (urban projects must include at least one new or previously vacant building that is a) at least 15 stories high, or b) has a floor area of at least 350,000 square feet, or c) after completion will be the site of employment accounting for at least $4 million in annual payroll, or d) includes two or more connected buildings that collectively have a floor area exceeding 350,000 square feet); and
  5. Cannot be completed unless the applicant receives the credit; and
  6. Must have estimated development costs exceeding $50 million if the project is located within ten miles of a Major City.

Who Can Apply?

Those who may apply for these TMUDs include either a) property owners, or b) insurance companies that contribute capital which is then used in the planning or construction of this type of eligible development. Insurance companies may ultimately claim this credit, as it is a credit against an entity’s Ohio insurance premium taxes. A property owner who originally applies and receives the TMUD credit may either transfer it to an insurance company or sell or transfer the rights to that credit to others in order to raise project capital.

What’s Next?

The state is currently undertaking rulemaking for this new incentive and developing program guidelines. These guidelines, as defined by the Director of ODSA, are expected to be released within the next 30 days. All TMUD projects must be certified by the OTCA by June 30, 2023.

For additional questions on this tax credit, please contact BMD Member Jason Butterworth at jabutterworth@bmdllc.com or (330) 374-3216.


Puerto Rico Is Open For Business

Puerto Rico has the highest vaccination in the nation. More than 73% of the total population is fully vaccinated. The U.S. national average is just over 57%. The ports opened in June 2020 and San Juan held it first live concert this past summer. It is important to remember that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and there is no need for visas, the banking systems is almost identical to the mainland and the Island uses the U.S. postal service and U.S. dollar as its currency. There are thousands of flights from the U.S. to Puerto Rico daily and all main airlines fly to the Island.

Ohio Medical Board Changes Telemedicine Rules

A SCMS News Article by Scott Sandrock.

The Rising Threat from Insiders – Get Your House in Order

As its name implies, an ‘Insider Threat’ originates inside an organization. An ‘insider’ is any person who has or had authorized access to or knowledge of an organization’s resources, including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, networks, and systems. ‘Insider threat’ can manifest from malicious, complacent, negligent or unintentional acts that negatively affect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the organization, its data, personnel, or facilities. Certainly, ‘Insider Threat’ can be an activity by a bad actor employee, but can also arise from an inadvertent or unknowing action inside an organization (such as an employee who unintentionally opens a phishing email or clicks on a malicious link).

In Cybersecurity– A Good Offense is the Best Defense

2021 has been a watershed moment for cybersecurity incidents as cybercrime has become a frequent headline and cyber criminals have thrived on unsuspecting and/or unprepared businesses and institutions. For example, the Solar Winds attack exposed sensitive data from top companies like Microsoft as well government agencies[1] and the Colonial Pipeline attack substantially disrupted the petroleum supply chain[2]. We have seen an almost 20% increase in data breaches and attacks since last year.

Changes to Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule and Outpatient Prospective Payment System

Come the beginning of 2022, both the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (“MPFS”) and Outpatient Prospective Payment System (“OPPS”) will look a little different. As a refresher, the MPFS lists the fees associated with reimbursement of services to providers at certain facilities, taking into account geography and costs. By contrast, OPPS sets reimbursement rates for hospitals and community mental health centers for outpatient services, which are determined in advance. A summary of some of the more pertinent changes to each rule will be outlined below.